At the end of November GAFFER Youngstars traveled to the Coast to face the finest of Mombasa’s footballing youth! Hailing from villages in Taita Taveta GAFFER Youngstars were hand picked from sixteen villages in the area. Having proven themselves in Voi division it was time to take on the toughest boys in Coast Province, if not in Kenya!

Mombasa Combined Charity Academy features players from around Mombasa with teams such as Mombasa Sports Club and Jomvu Boys represented. With excellent coaching from Isa and Rila the team has been selected for an International Tournament in Tanzania in December. The match took place at Makupa Primary School field with a full PA soundsystem accompanying the football spectacle that the enthusiastic supporters were treated to! As soon as the game kicked off it was clear that the Mombasa locals were serious opposition. With calm passing under pressure and great ball skills it was like watching a young Arsenal team command the midfield. Emmanuel of Jomvu made up for his small frame with testing balls up field aimed at the striking powerhouse Omari who sprinted through on goal several times in the first half. But the Youngstars held the line and took the lead through Kimega of Rukanga Village early on. Mombasa responded with Omari rattling the bar with a free kick that Didier Drogba himself would have been proud of! The standard of football was fantastic with Mombasa stars such as Hassan and Ali giving the Youngstars a tough game. However brilliant goals from Emmanuel and Thomas added to Kimega’s second and the GAFFER team took the victory 4-3.

Once again the incredible hospitality of the Mombasa locals made the weekend a great experience for everyone involved! The football was fantastic and Mr Mohamed, James, Titus and Ben at GAFFER would like to thank Mombasa Combined Charity Academy for the warm welcome! GAFFER Youngstars are back to the bush now but will be training hard to ensure they return to the coast for more football action soon!

This year the GAFFER Youngstars have been funded by Dev’s Kili climb and his kind supporters – thanks guys!

This week saw GAFFER’s most promising young footballers attend a training camp in preparation for games far from home! Hand picked from the sixteen teams that entered the Andrew Murch Under 16 Trophy they promise to be the toughest Youngstars yet!

Each year GAFFER selects the best of its youth players to assemble a squad that will represent the villages against teams in the nearby towns and cities. The week long training camp brings the young men together to eat, sleep and train alongside each other. Under the watchful eyes of coaches Mr Mohamed and Titus Eluid, a bunch of individual talents are transformed into a formidable footballing force! Five days of fitness, ball work and classroom sessions culminated in a warm up game against the local mens team, The Samba Boys. Despite the age and size difference the Youngstars showed their skills and took an emphatic victory by two goals to one! The first proper game will be in a week’s time when the Youngstars travel to Mwatate town. Good luck lads!

The training camp and tour matches have been made possible by Dev’s Kili Climb and his kind supporters! A massive thank you to those involved from all at GAFFER!

The cream of GAFFER’s Under 16 football teams went head to head this weekend to decide the 2011 Champions! After weeks of tough competition there could only be one winner!

The day began with the third place play off where Itinyi met Rukanga and played out a thrilling game that was settled with a pair of stunning goals scored by Rukanga’s Mterengo in the last five minutes! It was then time for the main event to be played in front of hundreds of spectators. The small villages of Jora and Kale don’t usually get a look in at this level. However the dedication and hours of training have come good for the young players of these two up and coming teams. Players as young as 12 years old battled it out in an exciting and well played game that was still goalless at half time. In the second half Jora started to dominate and mid-fielder Jeremiah Joshua ruled the centre of the park before drilling home the winner just before time! Jora were crowned the 2011 Andrew Murch Under 16 champions! Well done lads!

As well as the football action, GAFFER Health once again teamed up with St Josephs of Voi to set up a Voluntary Counseling and Testing facility that would allow the assembled crowd to know their status should they wish to. In all 153 people had professional counseling and were tested for HIV. Thanks to St Josephs for the support once again!

After the success of the Mens League, the second Youth Tournament kicked off in rural Kenya! The action began in Rukanga village and all 16 villages have fielded a team aiming to lift the Andrew Murch Memorial Shield in six months time! Coaches are trained and supported by GAFFER to push the young players to their limits. Players as young as ten battle it out with older boys and the quality of football is improving fast!